Free A Special Man by Billie Green

they turned from the bridle path and began to walk beside the stream. Amanda moved farther into the shadows. She saw the stranger clearly now and wondered which of the patients belonged to him. It was obviously one of the people in Danny's wing.
    He was young and attractive with brown, curly hair. One curl hung slightly askew on his forehead. It looked artificial, as though someone had told him it gave him a cute, boyish look. But it was his eyebrows that were his most outstanding feature. They were heavy but curiously pale compared to his hair.
    She frowned. There was something about him that struck a chord. She was almost sure she had seen him before. It always bothered her to recognize someone without being able to place him. He was probably on television, she decided finally. Greenleigh seemed to attract an inordinate number of people in show business. Maybe he was one of those enthusiastic used-car salesmen that one sees constantly on television but never pays attention to.
    Suddenly the two men separated. Ted walked toward Greenleigh, but the stranger turned back toward the woods. Amanda couldn't think of anything in that direction, but decided he probably needed to walk and think, as she had.
    When they were both out of sight, Amanda stood and climbed up the bank. Frowning slightly, it suddenly occurred to her that Danny never had visitors. Amanda had been at Greenleigh Acres for over a month, and not-one person had been to see him in all that time.
    Glancing at her watch, she caught her breath and quickened her steps. She was ten minutes late already. By the time she reached her office, Amanda was out of breath. She swung the door open, then stopped abruptly.
    Ginny and Paul stood in the center of her office, their voices low, their faces contorted in anger. When they realized she was there, Paul swung past her and out the door.
    "What happened?" Amanda asked quietly.
    "Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Ginny said, her voice harsh. "Just the same old thing. If he would just tell the truth, then we could go on from there. But he keeps telling the same lie."
    "About what?"
    Ginny clenched her fists and walked to the window. "Amanda, I saw him kissing Leah. I didn't imagine it."
    "Today?" Amanda asked in disbelief.
    "No, two months ago. And he is trying to tell me that he didn't have anything to do with it." She laughed roughly. "He was a poor, innocent victim."
    "Knowing Leah, I don't find that hard to believe," Amanda said dryly.
    "Oh, sure. She forced herself on him." The nurse shook her head. "Hell, I knew it would happen sooner or later. He's handsome and intelligent and sensitive. What does he want with a loser like me? Fifteen pounds overweight and hair like something out of a Japanese horror movie. I just wish he hadn't made me think he loved me."
    Amanda sat at her desk, considering her friend. Ginny had obviously set herself up. She had gone into the affair with Paul expecting it to fall apart. When she had seen him kissing Leah it had only confirmed what she already believed.
    "Give me a break, Ginny," Amanda said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. When the nurse swung around, she said, "No, sit down and be quiet. You've got things that Leah could never have. But you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself to see it. You've got warmth and humanity. She has cold perfection. Men are just scalps to Leah. You said Paul was intelligent; well, he's too intelligent to fall for a phony."
    Ginny moved closer, a bewildered look on her face. "Leah likes causing trouble," Amanda continued. She thought of the blonde touching Danny, and her features became grim. "I've a good mind to do something drastic to her pretty face next time I see her.''
    Sinking to the couch, Ginny said, "I want to believe him. But how can I? It's perfectly reasonable that he should be attracted to her."
    "It's not. It's stupid. And you're stupid to let that woman come between you. Have you ever thought that you're reacting exactly the way she wants you to?